No one is questioning Justin Fields' athleticism. Some question the former Ohio State quarterback's ability to transition from the college game to the pros quickly. Mark Sanchez recently joined The Pat McAfee Show and explained why Fields' ability to learn an NFL playbook might not take as long as some might be anticipating. Maybe all of his skeptics, who want to find ways to bring the quarterback down, are wrong.
"For Justin, this guy, Dr. Goldman, he's a sports psychologist; I talked to him yesterday," Sanchez said (h/t to Jordan Cohn of 95.7 The Game). "He has some interesting information on how he evaluates players — all players from all different sports, OK? Since 2012, this guy's interviewed and given basically like a mental aptitude test on an iPad [to] 6,500 athletes. Professional athletes, not just this average Joe walking down the street. These are like ballers, OK?
"They have a learning efficiency rating on there, so it's basically like this acquisition — like, how many reps does it take until you get it, until you understand something — and then your recall. Like, once you have it, can you bring it back and use it, right? That's basically what they're trying to figure out in that part of this test."
This could be significant for anyone who feels a rookie quarterback might need significant time to sit and learn a playbook and scheme as complex as head coach Kyle Shanahan's. Fields is among the strong contenders to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 3 overall pick. The team has said it plans to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the upcoming season and have him start Week 1 regardless of who is drafted. The future, however, will likely be that top pick.
A lot is riding on the selection. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch may be putting their jobs on the line with this organization-defining decision. If they get it wrong after surrendering so much draft capital, it will likely set the franchise back for years.
Mac Jones of Alabama is the favorite to end up in San Francisco. Fields and Trey Lance of North Dakota State are widely seen as the prospects with more upside, though, due to their better athleticism.
"Justin Fields, the guy who supposedly can't go through his reads, doesn't have great work ethic, all this bogus stuff, he scored the highest. Ever," Sanchez continued. "He scored the highest that they can rank him. He scored a 130 on it. Mahomes was like a 108. Josh Allen was like a 108. Over 100 is good.
"Bro, he was a 130, OK? This kid can learn. Essentially, it would equate to like an average playbook that's not that complicated; he'd learn it faster than anybody. A very complicated playbook, to him, it would be like an average playbook. This kid was in the top one percent of 6,500 pro athletes, OK? This kid is bright."
Added Sanchez: "This kid has the toughness, has the grit. I'm just blown away that his stock's not higher."
You can watch and listen to the entire podcast below. The portion with Sanchez discussing Fields begins at about the 43-minute mark.
Josh Hokit explains why playing fullback for the 49ers is different than the rest of the NFL
By David Bonilla
Jun 14, 2021
Josh Hokit played running back for the Fresno State Bulldogs, rushing for 1,260 yards and 17 touchdowns on 303 carries in his four collegiate seasons. He also hauled in 38 receptions for 260 yards, showing off some versatility.
Hokit is learning to play fullback for the San Francisco 49ers after signing as an undrafted free agent last year. While the transition from running back to fullback for the 6-foot-1 and 225-pound player might not seem like too big of a stretch, the 49ers don't utilize typical fullbacks. Just look at Kyle Juszczyk, who is viewed as a versatile piece on head coach Kyle Shanahan's chessboard. He can run, catch, block, and do it all from multiple spots on the field.
"There's many things about this fullback position,"
Nate Burleson explains why he's so fascinated by the 49ers in 2021
By David Bonilla
Jun 12, 2021
Nate Burleson is really curious to see what the Jacksonville Jaguars do this season. The Emmy-award-winning analyst feels they could be better than most anticipate, even with a new quarterback in rookie Trevor Lawrence. He believes they have some potential at other key spots.
But that's not why you're here.
Burleson also named another team that is almost flying under the radar — the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, everyone expects them to be much-improved compared to last season, when the squad managed just six wins. That may have been an outlier, though. No team endured as many injuries as that one, and it still has much of its Super Bowl-caliber roster intact, with many of those rehabbing players set to return.
"I'm really curious to see what Kyle
George Kittle explains why Kyle Shanahan, 49ers fans should be excited about the 2021 season
By David Bonilla
Jun 15, 2021
George Kittle is confident that the San Francisco 49ers will rebound from last season's injury-plagued six-win campaign. It wasn't long ago that the team was in the Super Bowl, and much of that roster remains intact. Most feel that the Niners' 2019 season was an aberration and that a return to the playoffs is in store for this year's squad.
Kittle joined Good Morning Football today and shared why the media should not overlook the 2021 49ers.
"I don't know if you guys saw this, but Nick Bosa is coming back, and we re-signed Trent Williams," Kittle explained. "So those two guys are pretty good at football, from what I remember. They're pretty decent. And on the opposite side of Nick Bosa, you've got Dee Ford, you've got Arik Armstead."
Bosa is
49ers' Kyle Shanahan explains how the recent injuries occurred
By David Bonilla
Jun 9, 2021
The San Francisco 49ers were, by far, the most injury-plagued team in the NFL last season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is trying to avoid a repeat of the team's poor luck.
Offensive lineman Justin Skule and safety Tarvarius Moore both suffered serious injuries during Monday's practice. Skule went down with a torn ACL while Moore suffered a torn Achilles. Skule is done for the year, and Moore could be as well.
Weeks earlier, the 49ers lost Jeff Wilson Jr. to a freak injury. The running back suffered a torn meniscus while in the locker room. He is expected to be out until midseason.
The recent losses prompted Shanahan to cancel the remainder of the offseason
